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Abstract. Conservation of mangrove areas is a factor in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals
(SDG's) by 2030 in protecting terrestrial ecosystems. Several strategies are needed to support mangrove
conservation efforts based on the strength of social capital owned by local communities to attain
sustainable mangrove management. This study aims to develop a strategy for implementing mangrove
conservation on the east coast of Karawang Regency, Indonesia, based on social capital development.
The analytical method uses the Participatory Rural Appraisal (PRA) through individual interviews and the
Causal Loop Diagram. The study results provide four strategies to support the implementation of
mangrove conservation, namely a design of capacity building, community empowerment strategy,
conflict resolution strategy, and community education strategy. Some of the social capitals required to
achieve each of these strategies are trust, cooperation, and care. Support from various relevant
stakeholders is required to achieve the successful implementation of these strategies.
Key Words: causal loop diagram, mangrove resources, PRA, Sustainable Development Goals.
Introduction. Indonesia's coastal areas have become the habitat for more than 20% of
the world's mangrove areas. However, during the last six centuries, mangrove areas in
Indonesia have experienced extensive degradation (Ilman et al 2016). One of Indonesia's
coastal areas undergoing damage to mangrove areas at an alarming rate is in Karawang
Regency (Nopiana et al 2020b). Komarudin (2013) has reported a decrease in the
mangrove ecosystem area, reaching 47.8% from 1994 to 2012. This shrinkage has
occurred due to the conversion of mangrove areas, in no small part, to aquaculture areas
(Aliah 2013).
Efforts are needed to implement conservation of mangrove areas to attain the
goals of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG's) in 2030, especially those related to
the 15th goal of protecting terrestrial ecosystems. This conservation effort requires
various related stakeholder roles in a harmonious collaboration (Randy et al 2015). As a
stakeholder, the community has an essential role in supporting the sustainability of
mangrove conservation efforts in their area, now that community-based management
has become mainstream in the management of coastal resources in general (Hutabarat
et al 2009). In other words, mangrove conservation efforts primarily require efforts to
enable communities through the process of self-development, with thoughts and actions
that they formulate themselves. The development of social capital owned by the local
community can support the sustainable management of mangrove areas.
Limited research discussed the role of social capital in mangrove management.
Several studies had revealed that the success of social capital-based mangrove
management had improved the condition of mangrove areas in various regions. Nababan
et al (2016) reported that the condition of mangroves in East Lampung Regency,
Indonesia, started to improve through the involvement of local communities by delivering
social capital into their management. Suharti (2016) stated that mangrove forests that
Research time and location. This research was conducted for three months, from
September to November 2020. Taking place in the coastal area of Karawang Regency,
West Java Province, Indonesia, the research included three villages and sub-districts
(Table 1). The selection of the research location was done using a judgment sampling
method. The selected sites represent the ecological and social characteristics of the
eastern coast of the Karawang Regency. Pusakajaya Utara is the largest of the three
research villages, covering an area of 8.66 km 2. Sukakerta and Sukajaya come second
and third, covering areas of 6.36 and 6.2 km2, respectively. Meanwhile, Sukakerta is
higher than two other research locations, as it is situated 24.1 m above sea level.
Sukajaya and Pusakajaya Utara, correspondingly, are at 7.6 and 5 m above sea level
(BPS 2020a, 2020b, 2020c). Pusakajaya Utara has the longest coastline, which stretches
for 6.3 km, followed by Sukajaya and Sukakerta, with 3.6 km and 1 km, respectively
(Fauzie 2017).
Table 1
Research location
The coastal area consists of 9 sub-districts, with an area of 681.47 km2 or 38.87% of the
total area of Karawang Regency. The length of the coastline reaches 73.65 km, while
almost the entire area is characterized by sloping land with flatlands (0-2%). The
population of the coastal area was 577231 in 2018, which was 24.71% of the entire
population of 2336009 recorded for the entire Karawang Regency (Komarudin 2013;
Fauzie 2017; BPS 2019).
Data collection. This study used secondary and primary data. Secondary data was
obtained from literature review and the Central Bureau of Statistics. The primary data
required is to enrich the analysis in the form of observations and in-depth interviews with
several key personnel members, like Pokmaswas members, village officials, community
leaders, and selected community members. The selection of key personnel is based on
the assumption that they are the parties who understand the problems in mangrove
Analysis. The analytical method applied in this research is Participatory Rural Appraisal
(PRA), through individual interviews. PRA is a learning method and approach regarding
the community's condition and life from, with, and for the community itself. PRA is a
process in which the community will analyze the situations they face and decide how to
solve existing problems (Adi 2008). In addition, the analysis method used systems
thinking approach in the form of a causal loop diagram. This qualitative modeling
illustrates the relationships between elements in a system (Setianto 2016).
Mangrove areas condition description. The total area of mangroves in the entire
coastal area of Karawang Regency in 2018 only reached 421.95 ha. The mangrove
species that generally dominate in this coastal area is Avicennia marina, which grows
naturally on accretionary land. Meanwhile, Rhizophora mucronata and R. apiculata are
widely planted and regenerated naturally in aquaculture areas. Sonneratia caseolaris
grows naturally on river borders, which have a salinity of 0 ppt, or the mangrove plant
groups that grow on low salinity land. Pusakajaya Utara has the largest mangrove area
among other research locations, 33.15 ha (Table 2). The largest mangrove forest area
with high density is also located in this village, with 22.07 ha. Furthermore, the
mangrove areas in Sukajaya and Sukakerta have 16.32 ha and 12.36 ha, respectively,
most of which grow along the coastline (Nopiana et al 2020b).
Table 2
The total area of mangroves in all research locations in 2018
Mangrove areas in the three research locations have been successful in overcoming
coastal erosion. The results of coastal rehabilitation through mangrove planting have
maintained the coastline's stability and have even created land, as a result of
sedimentation trapped by mangrove vegetation, reaching 500 m. The results of
mangrove planting are developed as a coastal ecotourism area managed by several
community groups (Nopiana et al 2020c).
Social capital condition of the community. Social capital is a resource that arises
from social relations and can be used as a social glue to keep group members together in
achieving common goals (Anggita 2013). Social capital can support the creation of
sustainable management of mangrove areas, which is reflected in the conditions that are
getting better so that the area can provide optimal ecosystem services. Social capital
cannot be felt directly, but will affect the sustainability of the environment and mangrove
resources in the area.
The identifiable characteristics of social capital include cooperation, caring,
reciprocity, and trust. Social interaction based on cooperation that is commonly owned by
the community in the three research locations can be seen from the awareness of goals
that need to be achieved together. The visible forms of awareness include forming public
awareness (the majority coming from young people) to form groups with specific goals.
The groups are founded, among other things, to save the condition of the coastal
environment and coastal ecosystem (especially mangrove conservation) in the area.
These groups include Community Monitoring Group (Pokmaswas), Tourism Awareness
Group, and other community groups. Within groups, member participation tends to be
high by carrying out tasks in cooperation based on relatively high solidarity. However,
each group runs independently in carrying out mangrove conservation efforts and tends
not to know each other. They do not share knowledge or work together, even groups
within one village (the case in Sukajaya in Cilamaya Kulon and Sukakerta in Cilamaya
Wetan).
In addition, community groups have built partnerships with the private sector in
funding mangrove conservation through the Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR)
program. The private parties that have been involved include PT Pertamina Hulu Energi
Offshore North West Java or PT Toyota Motor Manufacturing Indonesia. CSR efforts
included planting and supplying mangrove seedlings, supporting the construction of wave
barriers to protect newly planted mangrove seedlings, and community empowerment
programs.
Care that the community has applied is an element of social capital. In rural
communities, such a work model still applies as a form of the collective norm recognized
as a norm in society (Supriyati 2015). Related to this aspect, some people are worried
about the coastal environment condition. People around the coastline experience the
impact of coastal erosion. They have a strong desire to help ease the burdens of others
experiencing difficulties, even though this is limited to labor contribution (Sawitri &
Soepriadi 2014). One of the initiatives is planting mangroves along the coastline, which
gradually creates natural coastal protection.
Reciprocity is a positive attitude from the individual responding to the behavior of
others, which can represent an equal or comparable behavior (Supriyati 2015). Deckop et
al (2003) stated that reciprocity embraces the concept of social exchange, in which the
individual involved will benefit either now or in the future. In a reciprocal relationship,
people have the habit of repaying someone's kindness voluntarily, either in the same or
different ways (Balitbangda Prov. Jawa Barat 2008), such as the Nganteuran tradition.
Even though these habits exist, communication blockages cause social conflict between
Figure 1. Causal loop diagram of the use of social capital to overcome protection
construction problems in mangrove planting.
Figure 2. Causal loop diagram of the use of social capital to solve the problem of overflow
of waste and oil spills.
Acknowledgements. All authors would like to express their deepest gratitude to the
Institute for Research and Community Service or the LPPM at University of
Singaperbangsa Karawang for this research's facilitation and funding. The highest
appreciation is conveyed to village government leaders, Pokmaswas, and community
leaders in each research location for their information and data support for this research.
References